That's right... The Class of '61 now has its own Facebook page. You can join us on Facebook by clicking here. We hope to use it to keep everyone updated on Reunion plans as well as what we've done, what we're doing and what we are planning on doing.

The Class of '61 can also be found on the social and business networking sights Plaxo and LinkedIn.

Click here if you're a member of Plaxo and want to join the Class of '61 listing.

You can also find us in LinkedIn under Cal Class of '61.

Thanks to Joy Maguire for keeping us modern and up-to-date.

Like that is so awesome.

The 50th Reunion Kickoff Luncheon was held on January 27, 2010.

You can read the notes of the meeting by clicking here.

REUNION PLANNING SUGGESTIONS

There are now two ways for you to join the discussion on the planning of our 50th Anniversary Reunion. You can go to our Suggestions Page or our Facebook Page.

Possible activities leading up to reunion

• Year-long selection of activities in various locations throughout the state (e.g., basketball weekend in southern California, Charter Day, Cal Day in April), culminating at Homecoming

• Conference Center (yet to be built)
• Chancellor Tien Asian Studies Center
• Hearst Mining Building (poor acoustics)
• Lawrence Hall of Science
• Lawrence Laboratories and Cyclotron
• Claremont Country Club (free parking)
• Sequoia Country Club
• Library’s Morrison Room (too small)
• Faculty Club (too small)

Help with housing

• Block a group of hotel rooms for the weekend and provide bus transportation from the hotels to major events.
• Local Bay Area people might like to stay overnight in addition to those traveling from a greater distance.

50th Reunion Fundraising

There should be a variety of funding opportunities, including the endowment of a faculty chair or funding multiple Class of ’61 scholarships in addition to the opportunities already on the list from this year. Funding for the stadium reconstruction will still be a top priority in 5 years, most likely, and “since our major donors this year pledged their dollars toward that fund, we probably need to keep it high on the list.”

The endowment of a faculty chair will increase to $1 million this year from the current $500,000. Last year it was $350,000. Since the cost of endowing a scholarship is much less, currently $50,000 and perhaps increasing to $100,000, some thought the class could aim to endow a number of Class of 1961 scholarships, each honoring a different person, e.g., Clark Kerr, Arleigh Williams, Bill Shepherd, Katherine Towle, Betty Neeley and others—send suggestions!

Other beneficiaries could include the Band, other scholarships and this year’s choices—the stadium, the library, class scholarships and the required Cal Fund. Other opportunities will be explored—some are separate from the University, including the Daily Cal (which is holding it own $75,000 fundraising drive next year); because the University is not involved (and does not get a maintenance fee), donations to the Daily Cal do not count toward the class campaign.

The Alumni Association now recognizes all gifts to the University as part of the total class giving in a reunion year. Because the US Tax Code is involved, there are, of course, 2 exceptions to this rule:

ESP seating program – we are only recognizing the tax deductable portion of the gift in the year the gift is pledged.

The Equity Scholarship at CAA – gift will not be recognized in the class total due to IRS regulation.

The drive leading up to our 50th Reunion has begun. If you would like to make a gift please go to California Alumni Association Make A Gift Page.

In the years leading up to our 45th Reunion, the Class of '61 donated $2,559,510 to the University.

What would you like reunion festivities to include?

• a weekend at the Lair of the Bear?
• lunch or dinner with a faculty member?
• attend special lectures/forums that are geared just to our generation?
• “matched” with a student and attend classes with him/her?
• be part of a roundtable discussion on a burning issue (like global warming, for instance)?
• attend a Cal Performance event with classmates?

@CAL FORWARDING ADDRESS

You can now have an @Cal email address that forwards your mail to your personal address. Sign up for @Cal and use it to get in touch with former classmates, roommates, etc. as well as getting all reunion updates.

GEORGE LINK SCHOLARSHIP FUND

FIRST SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED

We are pleased to announce that we were able to award a scholarship this academic year. Korina Guzman, from Torrance receives $6,000 this school year, $144 of which was contributed by George's scholarship fund (amount of interest eamed on contributions.) CAA supplemented the remaining monies from its general TAAP endowment fund. George's fund will obviously generate more interest in the future.

Please read a wonderful handwritten note from Ms. Guzman about what she has accomplished during the past year.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:

Class members (or anybody else for that matter) can contribute until 2011 (our 50th reunion year).

HERE'S HOW :

New pledges can be made over 4 years, beginning this year and completed by 2011.

One-time gifts can be made at any time.

Contributions may be made online, by mail or by telephone, either with a check or a credit card.

For online donations, go to https://givetocal.berkeley.edu/egiving/index.cfm?Fund=FW5946000

If you use this, be sure to note at the bottom of the screen where it says ‘Special Instructions’…that this is your pledge payment for the George Link Endowment and include the following fund number…W-6104.

To donate by mail, make a check payable to the California Alumni Association, specifying George Link '61 TAAP fund W6104, and mail it to Elena Vasquez, 1 Alumni House, Berkeley CA 494720-752.

By telephone, call Elena at 888-225-258 (that's 888-CAL-ALUM)